I’m sure many of you followed the recent stories in the news about Jerika Bolen, a 14-year-old girl from Appleton who suffered from Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 2, a progressive, painful, and incurable disease.

Jerika and her mother received a lot of media attention when Jerika made the decision, supported by her mother, to discontinue the treatment of her disease, which would quickly lead to her death. A special prom was celebrated in her honor in July, and Jerika died in hospice in Sheboygan Falls on September 22nd.

For many, Jerika Bolen has become the most recent face of the assisted suicide or “right-to-die” movement. Her death comes at a time in which there has been increased media attention and discussion on these controversial issues. The beginning of June saw the release of the popular “chick flick” movie Me Before You, which took up the theme of assisted suicide as a personal choice that should be accepted. And, last October, Governor Jerry Brown of California signed the End of Life Option Act, legalizing assisted suicide in his state. Now, hearing the news about Jerika, some of you might be wondering how we as Catholics should respond.

Well, I must say that up to this point, it has been rather difficult to make a definitive statement or judgment on her situation. News reports have given few medical details, and I have not come across many experts in bio-ethics who have weighed in on the topic. Based on what has been covered in the news, however, an important distinction should be made with regard to Jerika’s particular case. There is a big difference between suicide (assisted or not), and simply allowing nature to run its course. The Church has always been opposed to assisted suicide, but she is not opposed to allowing life to come to a natural end. The Catholic Church teaches that while we must do our best to sustain human life through ordinary means (which usually involves providing food and water when necessary), one does not need to go to extraordinary means – i.e. taking advantage of every possible life-sustaining measure provided by advanced medicine and technology. Even the use of a ventilator could be considered “extraordinary means.”

In the case of Jerika Bolen, her disease would inevitably lead to death at some point. Her life has been and could be prolonged through the use of a ventilator and other extraordinary medical procedures. Based on what the news media has reported, it does not appear that she has actively taken steps to end her life by means of a pill or needle, which we would consider an act of suicide. Rather, she has opted to forego extraordinary means, passively and naturally allowing her life to come to an end. Such a choice is perfectly in line with the teaching of the Church.

News reports that I have read tend to be emotionally charged and do not make this important distinction between actively taking one’s life or passively allowing life to come to its natural end. In the area of assisted suicide, as well as with many other controversial moral topics, our society has become persuaded more and more by the popular media to operate on a purely emotional and sentimental level. To our detriment, we no longer base our decisions on our use of reason and what is objectively good or objectively wrong. May we pray for Jerika’s eternal rest, for the consolation of her friends and family, and that our society might be converted to honor the dignity of life from its natural beginning to its natural end.

Having spoken last time about the Presbyterians, we will now continue our look at the various Christian denominations with a look at the Methodists. Of the 29 million Methodists in the world, just over have of them are in the United States, many of them members of it’s largest branch, the United Methodist Church. Methodism traces its roots back to the Anglican or Episcopalian Church. It began with an Anglican priest by the name of John Wesley who, in 1738, sought reform. While Wesley is considered along with Martin Luther and John Calvin as being one of the big three Protestant reformers, he is unique in that his reform was not so much against Catholics, but other Protestants. He was not so interested in spelling out a clearly defined doctrine as much as he was interested in activism – performing good works, prayer and devotion, fasting and abstinence – i.e., one’s “method” in living the Christian life.

With regard to doing good works, Wesley certainly parted company with Luther. He also believed strongly in free will, rejecting the doctrine of predestination and thereby parting company with Calvin. Unlike both Luther and Calvin, Wesley believed that man could attain perfection while still in this life. He also believed one could be sure of getting to heaven, following a personal conversion experience. Coming from the Anglican Church, Wesley eventually traded in his belief in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist and apostolic succession for a more symbolic understanding.

Methodist preachers came to America leading up to the time of the American Revolution. Many of them actually supported the British. In spite of this, however, the faith still spread and formally broke with the Anglican Church in 1874. With an emphasis on activism, over the years, Methodists have founded 100 colleges and 72 hospitals in the United States, as well as Goodwill Industries.

Even though Methodism originates from “high church” Anglicanism, which would closely resemble Catholicism in structure and worship, it would eventually adopt a largely Protestant theology. Major differences between Catholics and Methodists would center on interpretation of the Scriptures, authority in the Church, and belief about the Eucharist. There would also be some disagreement on various social and moral issues, such as abortion. However, like some of the other Protestant denominations we just spoke of, we share in common a belief in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, the Holy Trinity, the Creed, as well as infant baptism and performing good works. May we continue to share and explain our Catholic faith and pray for the restoration of unity among us.

Having spoken last time about Anglicans and Episcopalians, we now continue our discussion about the different Christian denominations with the Presbyterians. Today, there are about four million Presbyterians throughout the U.S., with the majority concentrated on the East Coast and Mid-Atlantic states. The word “presbyter” refers to church leaders or elders. The Presbyterian Church takes its name from its governance of church communities by elected elders, rather than bishops.

While called Presbyterian in the U.S., in Europe it is commonly referred to as the Reformed Church. Members of the Reformed Church can be found mostly in Switzerland, Scotland, Holland, and France. The Presbyterian or Reformed Churches originate around 1533 with a French lawyer by the name of John Calvin. Calvin’s theology was based on the absolute sovereignty of God, the helplessness of man, and strict predestination (i.e., that God has already determined who goes to heaven and who goes to hell). Other denominations, such as Baptists and Congregationalists, have origins in Calvinism as well, but each (including Presbyterianism) have a theology that has varied or developed from John Calvin’s original thought.

As we know, it was Martin Luther who revolted against the Catholic Church in Germany. Meanwhile, an ex-priest by the name of Ulrich Zwingli, who was influenced initially by Luther’s writings, did the same in Switzerland. Zwingli denied the value of fasting and priestly celibacy. Being denied by his bishop release from his promise of celibacy, he married a widow with whom he had been living and they had a child together. Zwingli separated from Luther over the belief in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, which Luther still maintained, thereby bringing about the division between Lutheran and Reformed Protestantism. Luther believed in the Real Presence, but he did not maintain the Catholic teaching on transubstantiation (i.e., that the actual substance of the bread and wine changes to the Body and Blood of Jesus). Zwingli thought the Lord’s Supper was merely a memorial service. He removed all art and music from his churches, and in Zurich, developed a form of government run by the church.

John Calvin came to Geneva and established a theocratic government there as well. So harsh was his government, the citizens rebelled and ousted Calvin after only two years. Some years later, he returned to Geneva with a revised Presbyterian system of representative church government. What Calvin developed in Geneva served as a model for other Protestants throughout Europe. John Knox brought Calvin’s ideas back to Scotland and established what we know of today as Presbyterianism.

Catholics and Presbyterians differ in many beliefs, the first of which would be on the Eucharist and baptism. Presbyterians do not believe that baptism is necessary for salvation. They also do have the same hierarchical structure consisting of bishops as the Catholic Church does. Most Presbyterians today reject Calvin’s original doctrine of strict predestination. Presbyterians would also hold differing beliefs on homosexuality, abortion, and other such social issues. Together, we hold in common the fundamental beliefs of Jesus Christ being our Lord and Savior, the doctrine of the Holy Trinity, and belief in the Bible as the Word of God. As always, it is important that we pray for one another and continue to work toward greater unity by sharing our Catholic faith and striving for greater understanding of our similarities and differences.

Having spoken earlier about Martin Luther and Lutherans in my series on Christian denominations, I will now touch on the Anglican Church and the Episcopalians. Anglicans are members of the Church of England. Episcopalians, members of the Episcopal Church, are what we might call the American branch of Anglicanism. Together, they make up what is called the Anglican Communion. In order to understand this distinct segment of Protestantism, we have to look at a bit of history. Different from Lutheranism and other Protestant groups, the Church of England separated from Rome for reasons more political than religious.

We’ve all heard of King Henry VIII. Henry’s wife, Catherine of Aragon, was unable to provide him with a son – a male heir to his throne. Henry wanted to divorce Catherine to marry his mistress, Anne Boleyn. As a Catholic who once defended the teachings of the Church against Martin Luther, Henry needed the Church to declare that his marriage to Catherine was null. Not seeing sufficient grounds for what is today commonly called an “annulment,” the Pope would not grant Henry’s request. He therefore broke his communion with the Catholic Church and declared himself as head of the Church of England. Both clergy and laity who protested Henry’s actions were put to death, including his chancellor, St. Thomas More, and a bishop, St. John Fisher.

Initially after its separation from the Catholic Church, many of the rituals and beliefs of the Church of England appeared the same as they were in the Catholic Church, with the exception of its connection to Rome. However, as time went on, the Protestant Reformation exercised greater influence and those who remained Catholic in England were severely persecuted, especially during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Still today, some circles within the Anglican Communion maintain liturgy and theology that is very “high church” – i.e., more traditional and Catholic. Other circles (perhaps the majority) are more “low church” – i.e., more Protestant in their worship and beliefs.

The differences between these circles, particularly with regard to social issues, have become more pronounced in recent years. Disagreement on issues such as the blessing of gay marriages, women clergy, and the consecration of actively homosexual bishops has led to significant tension and division within the Anglican Communion. Recently, many Anglican/Episcopal congregations and their pastors have left and come into full communion with the Catholic Church. In fact, in 2009, Pope Benedict XVI set up what is called a “personal ordinariate,” a structure enabling groups of Anglicans to enter the Catholic Church and maintain their liturgical and spiritual traditions.

Certainly we as Catholics differ from Anglicans/Episcopalians in that we do not recognize the validity of their ordination to the priesthood or episcopacy. Also, much of their theology is dominated by Protestant thought. Of course, like with other Protestants, we do hold many fundamental teachings in common: that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior, our belief in the Holy Trinity, and the need for baptism. There are also many similarities in our worship. We both have a mutual appreciation for tradition. In fact, there are some high church Anglicans/Episcopalians who refer to their service as the Mass, deriving from the Catholic Mass. While differences between us remain deep, in God they are not insurmountable, and so we continue to pray for greater unity.

This Sunday, September 4th, Mother Teresa will be canonized a saint. She was born, Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, of Albanian descent, on August 26, 1910 in Skopje, Macedonia. Her father, a well-respected businessman, died when Agnes was only eight years old. Her mother, a deeply religious woman, supported her family by running an embroidery and cloth business. In 1928, Agnes left home to enter the Loreto Convent in Ireland and took the name Teresa, after St. Therese of Lisieux. In 1929, she was sent to India where, several years later, she would make her final profession. For the next several years she taught at St. Mary’s Bengali Medium School in Calcutta.

In 1946, on a train from Calcutta to Darjeeling, she received a special call from God, which would lead to the founding of the Missionaries of Charity. Her driving purpose and inspiration was “to quench the infinite thirst of Jesus on the cross for love and souls... by laboring at the salvation and sanctification of the poorest of the poor.” The Missionaries of Charity was officially acknowledged by the Church as a religious institute for the Archdiocese of Calcutta on October 7, 1950. Over the next couple decades, the Missionaries of Charity grew throughout India, and obtained greater recognition from the Church before spreading around the world.

Mother Teresa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979, and by that time there were 158 Missionaries of Charity foundations. In 1985, Mother Teresa spoke at the United Nations General Assembly, and later that same year she would open her first house for AIDS patients in New York. Mother Teresa died in July of 1997 at her motherhouse in Calcutta. By that time, the Missionaries of Charity sister numbered nearly 4,000. There were almost 600 foundations in 123 countries around the world.

Mother Teresa is truly a saint of our times, and one to whom we should look for spiritual help on our journey of faith. Throughout her life, she suffered great doubts about God and her relationship with him. She had difficulty feeling God’s presence as she was exposed to so much suffering. In spite of her feelings of doubt and desolation, she remained faithful and loved.

I’d strongly recommend watching the movie on the life of Mother Teresa on www.formed.org, available to us through our parish subscription. Check it out!

St. Teresa of Calcutta, pray for us!

Pastor's ColumnPosted here is the weekly column featured in the bulletin of Saint Mary, Saint Michael & Saint Kilian parishes.